SW Daily

Alongside a litany of human rights abuses, Eritrea is perhaps most notable for its lack of any private, independent media outlets, which was the result of massive crackdown in 2001 on the press, labor unions, and the political opposition leaders.

Iran’s plans to introduce a domestic computer network that would be compatible with Islamic principles and work independently from the World Wide Web are shrouded in secrecy. RFE/RL has compiled this quick guide to the possible introduction of a national Internet in Iran and the challenges it may face.

In this essay, journalist and author Salil Tripathi, explains how outdated Colonial-era legislation is being used to curtail free expression, exemplified by the legal proceeding filed against four authors who read aloud from Salman Rushdie’s novel The Satanic Verses.

In light of the new year’s Lantern Festival, we take a look back at China’s heightened crackdown on writers, journalists and activists in 2011. Included is an infographic with a timeline detailing major arrests and protests of the last year.

Several Internet companies, including the Indian subsidiaries of Google and Facebook, announced on 6 February that they had complied with Indian court directives to remove from their sites content deemed objectionable.

Li Tie was sentenced to 10 years in prison for “subversion of the state authority.” As proof the court cited several articles written by the Maoist writer, including his recent article, “Human Beings’ Heaven Is Human Dignity,” which called for democratic political reform.

Muhammad Bekjanov, former editor of newspaper Erk, and his brother Yusuf Ruzimuaradov have been imprisoned longer than any other reporters worldwide. The Uzbek government is known for its consistent persecution and torture of political dissidents, writers, and religious groups.

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About Sampsonia Way

Sampsonia Way is an online magazine sponsored by City of Asylum/Pittsburgh that seeks to protect and advocate for writers who may be endangered, to educate the public about threats to writers and literary expression, and to create a community in which endangered writers thrive and literary culture is a valued part of life.